Aeron chair, dot-com status symbol, spawns a successor

I wasn’t in Seattle during the dot-com bubble of the late-1990s. But those of you who were, my colleagues tell me, will remember the Aeron chair.

Manufactured by Herman Miller with a high-minded design that made it a status symbol among tech companies, the $800 chair came to symbolize the blind extravagance of an exciting time.

Now the company has released a successor to the Aeron, just in time for another economic downturn. Twice as expensive, it’s still turning heads. Say hello to Embody.

Embody designers Jeff Weber and Bill Stumpf began to “grow this chair” understanding that every year more business is done by computer, which requires longer periods of time in the sitting position. What’s revolutionary about Embody is that unlike typical work chairs that simply try to reduce the symptoms and lessen the damage associated with long-term sitting, Embody actually makes one better for sitting in it. It’s designed to encourage the body and brain to operate at peak performance by facilitating blood flow. Embody was literally designed to help people think better.